1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mirror angle adjusting device for a door mirror assembly for use, for example, in a motor vehicle wherein a mirror holder is rotatable about vertical and horizontal axes by pivotal operation of a manual lever for angular adjustment of a mirror supported in the mirror holder.
2. Prior Art
Various mirror angle adjusting arrangements have been known which are of the type that a mirror in a door mirror assembly is angularly adjusted through pivotal operation of a manual lever. One typical example of such an arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. This prior art arrangement comprises a mirror 30 supported in a mirror holder 31. The mirror holder 31 is supported in a mirror holder supporting member 32 rotatably about two orthogonally intersecting axes, i.e. vertical and horizontal axes, for angular adjustment of the position of the mirror holder 31. A V-shaped lever 33 extends outwardly from a door of the vehicle and having its knee point 33c rotatably supported in a position of the door. The front end of said lever 33 is further bent toward the mirror holder side. The lever 33 further has a T-shaped joint portion 33a connected to a connecting box portion 31a of the mirror holder 31 at the back thereof slightly movably along the back of the mirror holder and rotatably about the axis of the joint portion 33a. The base end of said lever 33 projects into the vehicle interior to serve as a control element 33b.
According to such an arrangement, the lever 33 is manipulated to vertically pivot about the knee point 33c so that the mirror holder 31 is rotated about the horizontal axis for angular adjustment. On the other hand, the lever 33 is manipulated to pivot about the knee point 33c in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so that the mirror holder 31 is rotated about the vertical axis for angular adjustment. The position of the mirror 30 is therefore angularly adjusted.
According to such an arrangement, however, the lever 33 is bent at both its intermediate portion and its front end and, therefore, if the lever 33 is rotated either upwardly or downwardly, for example, and if, with its position kept as such, the lever 33 is then shifted in a horizontal direction, the center of twist at the control element 33b side of the lever 33 and that at the front end joint 33a side of the lever 33 are widely different from each other. As a result, some excessive strain may be caused to pivotal operation of the lever 33, proper movement of the mirror 30 being thus hampered.